Buckstopshere

You are talking about using urine on scrapes, right? I have probably killed more scrapes than I have killed deer over by putting "doe urine, doe pee, or whatever is in that bottle on a hot scrape." Have I killed bucks over scrape that were freshened with buck/and or doe pee? Sure. But the important question that can not be answered is..."How many deer, bucks and does have been spooked by augmenting a scrape with something bought and in a bottle? Or course it is a retorical question... but the point is, in my heart I believe that more hunts have been ruined by the hasty and incorrect application of scents to natural and mock scrapes than have been enhanced. In my experience, deer do not care much for urine based scents but are more interested in the pre-orbital and saliva based scents on the overhanging branch...above the scrape.

Maybe it was a coon. I thought it was another buck on his hind feet, adding his scent to the mix. ? Thanks guys! I agree...some seem to spook, but I don't think it lasts long. I put pre-orbital scent on the overhanging branch and use a zip-tied branch from another scrape that I find on a field edge, later in the season, inside the woods. I also swab out the mouth of bucks and does I shoot (and when a buddy shoots one) with cotton and put the cotton swabs in zip-lock bags and keep them in the freezer. The buck in my avatar to the left of this post is flehmening to one of my zip-tied overhanging branches. If you want hot action at a scrape...zip-tie those cotton swabs on the overhanging branch! I wrote about it a couple years ago... www.wellsvilledaily.com/outdoors/x370508639/Bow-hunters-Seal-the-deal-with-a-zip-tied-overhanging-branch

Had good luck this year at mock scrapes and got a bunch of photos and vid clips here in Allegany County and put them together in a little 5-minute video. Enjoy! http://www.wellsvilledaily.com/video/x5490360/Late-summer-bucks-at-Mock-Scrapes

That's the way I see it too.

Cool idea and video clips! I got some bucks at Mock scrapes too and put a little 5-min. video together. Here's the link. http://www.wellsvilledaily.com/outdoors/guide/x1903460888/Late-Summer-bucks-at-Mock-Scrapes

Have had bucks at scrapes for about two weeks. This little guy is freshening up a mock scrape Tuesday, 8/28/12. See the other mock scrape thread for more bucks at scrapes.

I had my camera sitting on a dog kennel...so much for scent control! lol This buck licked the lens...you can see the inside of its mouth (roof of mouth!) I do not use anything to attract bucks other than mock scrape and zip-tied overhanging branches and licking branches from other scrapes. Buck licking camera inside mouth -1.AVI

This guy is licking the camera! Hope they are still around come Oct. 1! Two bucks in velvet 8:7:12 .AVI Buck licking camera -1.AVI

Ha! I have to admit, more than once over the years during the past hunting seasons I have rested my butt in that old chair. I have a tree stand overlooking it and the scrape....can't wait until opening day...I would love to get that one of the buck's coming into the scrape that have been caught on the camera! And then get the chair in the background of the photo!

Wow. At one of my mock scrapes, a bachelor group of 7 bucks showed up and trashed it. I have decent jpgs. and clips. Still in velvet, pounding the overhanging branch and ground scrape. They love the zip-tied overhanging branch. PICT0016.AVI

I've got three cameras on three mock scrapes. So far only a couple little six-points, a dog and a yote. Things will start ramping up soon at the scrapes.

"One other scrape observation that I've made is that, very few does visit the scrapes. I don't think they go out of their way to do it either, but just causally as they are walking by. I always read that does urinate in the scrapes and such, but I have NEVER once in 5+ years of getting literaly hundreds of scrape videos, seen a doe urinate in it! They walk by, sniff, and keep walking! They don't interact with the scrape or overhanging branch at all to purposely leave scent there." Cabin: I agree with you about the doe pee, but I have a lot of clips and jpgs of does over the years, visiting scrapes and working the overhanging branch. In my experience, does add their chemistry to the overhanging branch too as well as the bucks and in this way, maybe they synchronize for the rut. JMO It surprised me when I read that you didn't have any interaction of does at scrapes. I wonder why the difference?

Cabin...nice clips! What seems to work well for me is when I find a scrape with an overhanging branch on a property that I can not hunt, or hang a camera on, clip the overhanging branch and then zip-tie it to a scrape with a camera. Having looked at hundreds of vid clips of bucks at scrapes, it is amazing how little attention they pay to the ground scrape...95% of their attention is in the overhanging branch.

During session, the governor must sign or veto legislation within 10 days after transmittal (Sundays excepted), or it becomes law without signature. Legislation transmitted with fewer than 10 days left in the session must be acted upon by the governor within 30 days after adjournment, or is pocket vetoed. So if the bill was transmitted late,...maybe it was pocket vetoed. And it might die or be dead and the youth hunt is on! But I am no legislative expert.

Thanks man. I think it is really important that everyone realizes that as the days tick on and the governor has not signed the crossbow bill (that carries the weird little sentence hidden at the end to kill the youth hunt,) whether you agree or not, or believe in wearing blaze orange or not...are ready or not, the reality of it happening should not surprise anyone. But I think it will.

The Youth deer hunt is still set for Columbus Day weekend, the first weekend of archery season here. Just two months away. Check it out here on the DEC site. http://www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/81317.html

Just two months to go before the Youth Season and the governor has not signed the bill to squash it yet. I know that most think he is going to rubber-stamp the vote in the Assembly on the croosbow bill with the weird little final sentence, but I think the odds are growing so that we may see a Youth Hunt on the first weekend of the Southern Zone archery season.

Erussell, I couldn't agree more. And those guys who shoot those spikes and forks are stoked and the deer hunters of the future, as it should be. When the guys on the hill tag out, I'm a happy guy and when I shake their hand in congratulations for their deer, there is a part of me that knows, their season is complete and they are out of the woods. There is part of me that feels it is a bit selfish to feel that way, but I am honestly happy for them and like to share in their victory of filling their buck tag.

I have bucks licking my cameras. They are IR (not flash.) You can see the inside of the buck's mouth. The bucks know we are there days after we walk through their woods...we often don't give older bucks enough credit for their intelligence. These vid clips were shot July 24th, 2012. It's a bachelor group of bucks. Buck licking camera inside mouth .AVI Buck licking camera .AVI

On any day, or couple of days, I've seen the rut dead. There is no particular day or days that are always good no matter where you are when hunting the rut. The rut varies too much. If you hunt enough between Halloween and Thanksgiving in our neck of the woods, you will find any given day dead, and any given day in that time span...smoking hot at a rut peak.

My first bow I bought in 1969. It is a Bear Kodiak magnum recurve. I shoot 150 grain Snuffers...but have killed a lot of deer with a lot of other heads. I have not experimented with lighted nocks. Don't really understand why anyone would spend the money on them. I've killed so many deer with a bow and arrow without them.

That was a perfect shot and the head did its job. But I don't get enamored with a broadhead that kills so quickly with a perfect hit. How does it perform on a marginal hit? Any head would kill a deer quickly with a shot like that. I have killed over 100 deer with a bow and lots of different heads. That said, the price is great...a lot less than my heads (150 gr. Snuffers.)

Congrats on an awesome season! Certainly one for the books!

Awesome! Congrats! Truely one for the books!

I use a feeding hen decoy only. And most setups, I use a decoy, but not all. I have been using decoys for quite a few years. Some toms shy away from tom or jake decoys. I have seen jakes chase long beards, and of course, long beards chase jakes. The last few toms I shot have come into the hen decoy, but sometimes the hens come in (like last year) and the strutter is following them. I think that the set up location though is more important than the decoy. Some toms won't come in to a bad set up. (One where they don't feel safe.) That happened to me yesterday!